In the art of making paper, wood pulp is usually processed by a step commonly referred to as "beating". Beating is the mixing together of various materials called the furnish, in a water suspension and, by means of mechanical action which causes the cellulose fibers to be swollen, cut, frayed, macerated, and fibrillated, imparting to them properties that determine the character of the ultimate product. The furnish contains, of course, as its main constituent the fibrous wood pulp, and may include sizing, fillers, coloring matter, alum, sodium silicate, starch, etc., as required. The kind of paper to be made will determine the absence or the presence and proportions of the various materials in the furnish, as well as the type of wood pulp.
The beating treatment itself is also varied, depending on the nature and physical properties of the pulp being processed and the kind and characteristics to be made from them. The major physical changes resulting from the treatment is fiber shortening and fibrillation, although other changes do occur and affect the properties of the final product. Regardless of the type of beating treatment employed, however, it is a costly energy-consuming step in the manufacture of paper and related products. Thus, any reduction in the amount of power consumed during beating to achieve a given result is desirable.